The thought of restricting most gardeners to only three of any plant might sound cruel. After all, what makes us happier than heading to the nursery to fill a shopping cart? But limiting your plant palette has many advantages. Less variety means less chaos, in many cases. And, when it comes to trees, limiting yourself to just three options may also be necessary since trees take up more space and are more expensive than a perennial. It’s for these reasons that we decided to imagine ourselves on a strict three-tree diet. In this episode we answer the question: If you could only have three trees, which ones would you choose? The answers might surprise you.

Expert testimony: Ed Gregan works for Bailey Nurseries in Saint Paul, Minnesota.